A GROUP of anglers have cleared a riverside of waste in a community clean-up.

Fifteen members of Chester-le-Street and District Angling Club (CDAC) teamed together to tidy 40 bags of litter from long stretches of the banks of the River Wear in the town.

They were were inspired by the County Durham and Darlington Big Spring Clean campaign, which calls on local residents, community groups, schools and businesses to organise litter picks to help tidy up their local areas.

David Lockey, bankside maintenance officer at the club, said: "We, at CDAC, care about the environment and littering is such anti-social behaviour.

“A lot of what we collected consists of recyclable materials and everyone must now be well aware of the potential dangers these can present to wildlife both on land and in waterways.

“Litter is everyone's responsibility so be responsible and please put it in a bin or take it home."

Pauline Walker, Durham County Council senior civic pride officer, said: “It’s fantastic to see people taking part in community clean ups like this one. Big Spring Clean isn’t just an annual event, it’s all about encouraging people to take pride in their area throughout the year and continuing the litter-picks in all seasons.

“The hard work volunteers put in makes a massive difference to our local areas and we’re very grateful to groups such as the Chester-le-Street and District Angling Club for all their help.”

The Big Spring Clean will return in Spring 2020.

Find out more about the campaign and how to get involved with litter-picks in the meantime at www.durham.gov.uk/bigspringclean.